


Cold Snap

by insideabunker



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:14:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7507893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insideabunker/pseuds/insideabunker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa is an expedition guide working in Antarctica and Clarke shows up to complete her final residency year at the clinic there. </p><p>Based on a prompt requesting a Clexa story based on the movie 8 Below.  This originally started as a one shot, but quickly became multi-chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> Obviously, I make the final decisions about where the story goes, but I love getting feedback and I am always open to your suggestions. If you guys have strong feelings/ideas about where you're hoping the story goes, let me know! The best way to reach me is via Twitter, since I get those updates on my phone and it's easy for me to response right away: https://twitter.com/insideabunker
> 
> However, you can also leave comments on here, or hit me up on Tumblr: http://insideabunker.tumblr.com/ Love seeing those messages in my inbox ;)
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy the story!
> 
> Cheers!

Lexa sat on the cold, metal roof of the dormitory, staring at the sky, waiting, hoping.  The backs of her legs were numb, and her face stinging in the cold night air.  Despite the ache of the cold, she loved nights at the station.  They carried with them a perfect stillness, as though the whole world had retreated in on itself, sheltered away from the arctic elements.  For those who were willing to earn it though, for those prepared to brave the terrible chill just long enough, the nights also offered promises of hidden beauty, the likes of which had no equal.

“I thought I’d find you up here.”

Lexa turned to see Lincoln struggling as he made his way up over the lip of the roof.  His large frame overwhelmed the metal ladder, shifting it in a way that sent Lexa flying to her feet, grabbing for the top of the railings as they swayed back and forth under his weight.

“Whoa, big guy,” Lexa said, steadied the ladder and grabbed Lincoln’s hand, helping him onto the roof.

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief as he found stable footing, bearing his large, perfectly white teeth in a broad grin.  “Waiting for the lights again?”

She nodded, putting a finger to her lips silently and furrowing her brow a bit, trying her best to look stern.  “Shhh.  You’ll scare them away.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth then the glowing waves began to appear, swaying back and forth on the horizon, lighting up the night sky with vibrant greens and purples.  Lincoln pointed behind her, and she turned.  A smile crept across her face and spreading from ear to ear as she took in the sight overhead.  “Is that the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, or what?”

“That’s aurora borealis, huh?”

Lexa shook her head.  “Aurora Australis.  It’s called Aurora Australis in the south.”

The two stood there few a few more minute as the waves of light made serpentine patterns in the sky above them.  It was rare that Lexa had quiet moments in her head.  Mental preoccupation was typically her default setting, her mind always overtaxed, concerned with schedules, missions, and weather projections.  Here though, watching the glowing waves of light roll through the night sky, she could honestly say that there wasn’t a single other thought in her head.

Lincoln nudged her arm with his elbow, breaking the silent calm of the moment.  “Come on you. We’ve got an early flight coming in tomorrow morning.  Besides, you’ll catch your death out here.”  He made his way back to the edge of the roof and lowering himself onto the ladder.  A few moments later he was out of sight again.

Lexa remained frozen in place, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do anything but take in the haunting beauty of the lights floating above her.

When she finally spoke, her words came in a whisper; a small prayer offered up to the night sky.  “Some things are worth catching your death over.”

* * *

**October 4th, 9:03 AM NZST:**

The plane shook violently, vibrating from tip to tail as it jerked, and dropped, jostling the already frazzled blonde in who was clinging frantically to her backpack.  Her fingers dug into the material in a death grip, her knuckles white, her eyes screwed shut.

“Sorry about ladies and gentleman,” the pilot’s voice beamed through a loudspeaker.  We’re going to experience some turbulence for the next few minutes.  Just hang tight.  We should reach McMurdo in the next half an hour or so.”

Clark buried her face into her backpack and groaned, desperately trying to fend off the air sickness that had plagued her since the takeoff from Christchurch, New Zealand.  She hated flying, loathed it, spent weeks before trips dreading it.  This particular flight had been especially brutal, though nothing had been as bad as the last fifteen minutes.  Her skin flushed, and she began to feel tingles all over her body.  Suddenly, a wave of saliva flooded her mouth.

The young man sitting next to her stared worriedly at his pale, sweaty companion.  “You look awful Clarke.  Do you need one of those air sickness bags?”

Clarke shook her head into the backpack and held up a hand.  “I’m okay Wells!  No bag!”

By what means she managed it, Clarke knew not, but somehow she held back the bile until the plane had rolled to a bouncing stop on the icy runway.  No sooner had the exit door been unlocked, than Clarke rushed passed the aircrewman holding it open.  She grabbed the metal railing of the mobile passenger stairs and vomiting over the side.

“Better out than in, Griffin!”  Capt. Blake patted Clarke on the back as he exited the plane’s cabin.  The pilot pulled his aviators down, staring skeptically at the young doctor.

“Ew, Jesus!”  Capt. Blake’s co-pilot joined him on the stairs, recoiling in horror as she met with the sound of Clarke’s retching.  “Doc, are ok?”

Clarke wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, realizing for the first time how absolutely, terrifyingly cold it was outside.  “Fine but… I think my hands might have frozen to the rail.”

“Outstanding!”  Capt. Blake laughed and turned to his co-pilot.  “Little Blake, can you give Dr. Griffin a hand?  Pun intended!”

Octavia rolled her eyes and shot her brother a dirty look.  “The Lt. stands for Lieutenant, Bellamy!  Not Little!  And that’s not a pun!”

“I dunno.  You sure look like the littler Blake to me.”

Octavia fumed as she stormed back into the plane, returning a moment later with a warm towel and helping Clarke to unfreeze her hands.  Bellamy lifted Clarke’s bag onto his shoulder and chuckled at the scene.  “Well, Doc, I’d say let’s get you down to medical but, that’s you, so… How about we get you down to orientation instead?”

* * *

**October 4th, 10:24 AM NZST:**

Lexa’s feet beat a tattoo against the icy ground as she sprinted towards the main building, her still wet hair freezing to her head.  “Damn it!” She cursed under her breath as she burst through the doors, dashing towards the chow hall and the orientation session to which she was now more than twenty minutes late.  “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” She cursed herself as she ran.  “Stupid distractions!  Stupid, tempting girl clad in nothing but a towel!  Stupid secluded shower stall!  Stupid phone alarm that failed to go off!”

Lexa burst through the chow hall doors, only to be was greeted by a room full of eyes, all of which immediately locked on her.

“Ahh, our other expedition leader, ladies, and gentleman!  Running behind, as usual.”

Lexa sighed, refusing to let Director Kane, the station’s Chief Operations Officer, embarrass her in front of the crowd of people.

“Ms. Woods, perhaps you’d care to join us up here?”

Lexa grimaced.  She made her way to the front of the room and took her place beside a smirking Lincoln, who struggled to hold back his laughter.  He waited until Kane had started speaking again before he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“Smooth entrance, Ace.  Swedish girl again?”

“Norwegian.”

“Very nice.”  Lincoln did his best to hide his grin, as he first bumped Lexa behind their backs.

Lexa scanned the room examining the faces of the new personnel.  It was a large group.  That much was to be expected at this time of year.  After all, October marked the beginning of the austral summer, when teams of scientists and graduate students flooded into the station to conduct research.  The new waves of people were always exciting for Lexa, not simply because the population swells made life more interesting, but because the influx of researchers always brought with it girls, good looking girls at that.  There was no doubt; this was Lexa’s favorite time of year at McMurdo. She continued to scan the room, freezing when her gaze landed on a set of piercing blue eyes framed by a golden halo of hair.  Her eyes locked on the newcomer.  “Who is that?” she whispered, nudging Lincoln.

Lincoln leaned over to Lexa, craning his neck just a bit towards her face so they wouldn’t be overheard.  “That’s Clarke Griffin.  She’s the new medical resident.”

Lexa watched as the man standing next to the beautiful blonde reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.  She recoiled a bit, her cheeks flushing as a pang of competitive energy surged in her chest.

“Ugh… Gross. She came with her boyfriend?”

Lincoln shrugged at the question, smirking when he realized the implications of his fiend’s comment.  “Why, you interested?”

Lexa rolled her eyes, delivering a kick to his shin as soon as she was sure Kane wasn’t looking.  Lincoln did his best not to grimace, managing little more than a pained smile as the sting of the kick ran up his leg.

* * *

**October 4th, 10:40 AM NZST**

Clarke did her best to focus on the presentation Director Kane was giving, but she found herself distracted, here eyes continually drawn to the girl who had just joined the line of staff at the front of the room.  

Clarke didn’t put a tremendous amount of stock in people’s looks, but the way this girl looked undeniably drew the eye.  Even with her hair half frozen, and her clothing a mess, she was breathtaking.  The slope of her jaw was elegant and strong, her cheekbones high and proud, her skin tinted the faintest shade of olive.

Looks aside, the girl also seemed to radiate an energy that made her impossible to ignore.  Everyone had noticed as soon as she’d entered the room, and all least half the eyes in the crowd had been on her ever since.  She exuded a natural confidence that even Director Kane’s public attempt at shaming couldn’t stifle.  Clarke didn’t know what it was about her, not exactly, but she had the distinct sense that the girl was someone she wanted to get to know.

* * *

**October 5th, 6:30 PM NZST:**

Lexa winced as the nurse dipped her hand in a bowl of lukewarm water by her cot.  “Alright, we’re gonna bring those fingers back nice and slow.”  The nurse furrowed her brow, giving Lexa a stern look.  “You stay put until the doctor comes to take a look at those,” pointed to the bowl and the girl a knowing look before exiting the sick bay.

From his seat next to the bed, Lincoln shook with giggles.  “Serves you right for wearing those thin-ass gloves you jackass.”

Lexa frowned, glaring daggers at her best friend.  Her face burned a bright scarlet, fueled by frustration and embarrassment.  “They wouldn’t have been a problem if we hadn’t gotten stuck out there!”

Lincoln rolled his eyes, picking up a random magazine from off the table next to him, and pretending to concern himself with its contents.  “We wouldn’t have gotten stuck if you hadn’t wedged the sled in that crevasse trying to beat me home.”

“I wouldn’t have gone off the trail if you hadn’t cut me off!”

“You cut me off first!”

“You took off before I gave the signal!”

“Excuse me.” A throat cleared behind them.  “I can come back later if you two have something that you need to work out.”

Lincoln and Lexa stopped arguing abruptly, turning to see blonde hair and blue eyes staring back at them.  The hesitant looking young doctor shifted her weight nervously as she peered into the medical bay.  “I was told there was a patient in here exhibiting signs of frostbite.“  She checked her notes.  "Alexandra Woods?”

Lincoln smirked, pointing at Lexa.  “That’s this genius.  She nearly drove into a crevasse trying to race me back to the station.”

Lexa wanted to rebut Lincoln’s teasing, but she had been struck dumb by the sight of the girl in front of her.  Her wavy blond hair was tied in a loose knot atop her head, but here and there, strands of it fell free, cascading down her cheeks and into her eyes.  Her cheeks had a rosy blush to them, and her perfect, alabaster skin practically radiated warmth, making the brilliant blue of her eyes all the more disarming.  She was the most angelic looking creature Lexa had ever seen.  She tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound.  When Lexa finally managed to say something, she did her best to come off nonchalant, though she was sure she stuttered every word.  “I got the runs in a hole… I mean the runners!!!”

Lexa felt herself turning bright red as she tried to amend her jumbled statement.  “I mean… I got one of my sled runners stuck.  In a hole.  In the ice.”

She looked down at the floor as she finished her statement, cursing herself silently, and deciding that the only way to prevent further embarrassment was to stop speaking altogether.

“I see.”  Clarke pulled back the curtain a bit more, entering the sick bay and deftly making her way around the large gentleman in the chair.  She side-stepped over to where the brunette’s hand sat soaking in a bowl of water.  “I’m Doctor Griffin.  It’s nice to meet you, Alexandra.”

“It’s just Lexa.”

Clarke nodded, extended her hand.

“So, what’s this about you driving a snowmobile into the ice?”

Lincoln chuckled and picked up the magazine again, flipping a page.  “Not a snowmobile Doc, a dog sled.”

Gently, Clarke lifted the young woman hand out of the bowl of water,  examining it carefully.  Lincoln stood, peering over her shoulder so that he could examine Lexa’s fingers as well.  “Oh, you’re gonna loose those for sure,” he said, smirking.

Clarke cast him an annoyed look and shook her head, turning to look at Lexa and clucking her tongue.  “No you’re won’t.  It’s just frostnip.  You’ll be fine after another half an hour of warming.”  Clarke placed Lexa’s hand back in the water bath and wrote a few notes down in her chart.  She looked back over at Lincoln, who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat as he stared at the girl on the bed.

“I thought sled dogs had were banned from the Antarctic?  I remember reading something about it in school.”

Lincoln nodded, sitting back and leaning his chair against the edge of the bed.  He crossed his arms behind his back and cradled his head in his hand, trying not to make it obvious that he was flexing.  The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Lexa, who rolled her eyes.  “They banned them back in the 90’s.  Something about not wanting to spread canine diseases to the leopard seal population.”  

Lincoln winked at Clarke, flashing his pearly whites.  He did his best to exude confidence and charm as he addressed the beautiful young doctor.

“But, what with global warming, the last few year have seen a lot of overland transportation accidents due to the thinning ice shelf.  During the summer, which is when most of the researchers come out here, the CATs and snowmobiles are too heavy to make it to the expeditionary bases.  That’s why they brought in us.”  He waved a finger between himself and Lexa.  “They gave us a three-year contract to see if we can revive the sled dog program without causing environmental impact.”

Clarke wrote a few more notes in her chart, leaning back over to Lexa, and peering at her fingers.  “How are you feeling?”

Lexa gulped, forced to address the gorgeous blonde directly for the first time since her disastrous intro.  “Embarrassed.”

Clarke laughed, her eyes twinkling a little.  She smiled, patting Lexa’s her free hand.  “I meant your fingers.”

The contact sent tingles running up Lexa’s arm, and the brunette blanked.  A moment later, she collected herself and managed to mumble out at a reply.  “Um… Much better.  They’re feeling much better.”

Lincoln stared at the exchange skeptically, glancing from one girl to the other before making a decision to help his starstruck friend.

Lincoln stared back and forth between the two women, smirking.  “So Doc, when are you gonna come by and meet the team?”

* * *

 **October 7th, 6:11 AM NZST** :

Clarke entered the large, communal shower facility, happy that, save for the sound of a single running shower, she appeared to have the place to herself.  It wasn’t that she minded the co-ed bathroom arrangements; her college had had similar facilities.  It was more that, by 7:15, the place was usually swarming with half naked bodies, crowding the sinks, and trying to get in a quick shower before work.  Clarke was most certainly less than thrilled about that.  Today she had made it a point to wake up early, making her way to the showers during the lull between the night crews getting in, and the rush of people hurrying off to day shifts.

She stripped her clothes, hanging them on a hook by one of the shower stalls, and wrapping her towel tightly around her body.  Clarke walked to a nearby sink, setting her toothpaste down and beginning to tend to her perfectly maintained teeth.  She’d gone her whole life without a single cavity, and she intended to keep it that way.  As such, the doctor didn’t like being rushed through this part of her morning routine.  She began scrubbing her teeth in small, precise circles, happy to lose herself in the monotony of the routine.  Clarke had almost managed to zone out when her concentration was broken by a moan from the only shower stall in use.

Clarke paused, trying to process what she had just heard. She shook her head, dismissing her train of thought.  Surely, the sounds had been someone for the night crew, expressing relief as they washed the cold from their bones.  Clarke returned to her brushing. She was confident that it was her imagination playing tricks on her until another moan came from the stall, this one high, feminine and unmistakably wonton.

“Shhhh,” a second voice hissed from the stall, and the sound of a hand being clapped over a mouth echoed through the bathroom.   Clarke froze, realizing what she was hearing.   She gritted her teeth, not knowing how to react to the situation, resolved to finish brushing her teeth as fast as possible and pretend she hadn’t heard anything.  With any luck, she’d be in the shower herself before the couple exited their stall, and no-one would be any the wiser.  Clarke blushed furiously as the muffled sounds of moaning and gasping continued to echo around her, growing louder and reaching a crescendo.  A moment later she heard the stall shut off, and the moans were replaced by giggling.  She spit, throwing her things into her shower caddy as fast as possible, as sh lunged towards a shower.

Just as Clarke pulled back the curtain, a tall, slender woman with long red hair, exited the stall in question, locking eyes with her. “Dritt!,” the woman cursed in a foreign tongue, cheeks ablaze, as she realized that she had had an audience the whole time.  Clarke blushed furiously as well, recognizing the redhead as a patient, a Norwegian scientist who’d come into the clinic earlier in the week.

Dumbstruck, the two women stared at each other, silent and blushing, and Clarke tried desperately to think of something to say that would make the situation less awkward.

“I… I didn’t…”

Before she could finish, long brunette hair and the back of a head poked out of the curtain.  “Hey, can you hand me a t….”

The redhead cleared her throat, pointing at Clarke, and the second figure turned, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets when she realized what was going on.

“Oh, fuck…  Doctor Griffin.”

Clarke turned an ever brighter shade of red as she stared at Lexa, suddenly desperate to be anywhere else on the planet.  She tried desperately not to notice the olive tint of Lexa’s skin, or how toned the muscles of her stomach were.

“It’s fine!  It’s totally fine. I should… Sorry.” With that, Clarke practically dove into the shower.  She turned on the water, full blast, desperately hoping the two women would be gone when she stepped out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> Obviously, I make the final decisions about where the story goes, but I love getting feedback and I am always open to your suggestions. If you guys have strong feelings/ideas about where you're hoping the story goes, let me know! The best way to reach me is via Twitter, since I get those updates on my phone and it's easy for me to response right away: https://twitter.com/insideabunker
> 
> However, you can also leave comments on here, or hit me up on Tumblr: http://insideabunker.tumblr.com/ Love seeing those messages in my inbox ;)
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy the story!
> 
> Cheers!

**October 9th, 5:15 PM NZST:**

“I’m telling you Reyes; I sounded like a total idiot!”  Lexa opened her locker, tossing her gloves inside.  “I was trying to say that the runners had gotten stuck, but all I could manage was ‘I got the runs.’”

Lexa slammed the locker door shut in frustration, slapping her palm against its face.  “Ugh! I’ve never been so embarrassed!  G-d, and then the thing with the shower!”  Lexa banged her forehead against the locker door several times, groaning as the shower debacle replayed in her head.

Raven removed a piece of candy from the bag she was holding.  She tossed it up, catching it in her mouth, before setting the bag aside and engrossing herself in the copy of Popular Mechanics strewn on her lap.  “Did you know that they’re working on prosthetics that response to electro-neural signals from your brain’s motion processing center?”

Lexa frowned, turning back to Raven and narrowing her eyes at her jumpsuit-clad, grease covered friend.  “Are you even listening to me?”

Raven flipped to a new section in the magazine, peering at Lexa over the top of the pages.  “Of course I am BooBoo, but you told me this story already.  Twice.  I get it.  She’ was hot, you were a stuttering mess. What more is there to talk about?”

“And the shower thing?”

“So she walked in on you and some girl fooling around.  So what?  It’s not the first time somebody on this base has caught you with your pants down.”

Lexa sighed as she began removing her outer layers, shucking her heavy parka and kicking off the thick, rubber boots that she wore when she was out on the trails.  She slipped her feet into a warm pair of Sorels and grabbed the cargo rope that lay in a tangled heap at her feet, winding it into loose coils.  “Raven, what if she makes good on the invitation Lincoln extended to her?  What the fuck am I going to say to this girl if she shows up here?”

“Hello?”

Almost as if on queue, a familiar voice echoed down the hallway that connected the front office to the tack room, making Lexa freeze, and turning her face white as a sheet.

Raven grinned like a Cheshire cat, realizing who had just walked in.  “Speak of the devil!”  She threw down her magazine and grabbed her crutches.  Hoisting herself up on her good leg, she made her way towards the door.  “Good luck BooBoo,” she winked as she crutched past Lexa, making her way to the door and opening it just in time to come face to face with Clarke.

Clarke stared at her for a moment, startled.  “Hi, um… Is Lincoln here?”

The mechanic looked up and down“You must be the hot doctor.”  Raven nodded her head backward, gesturing over her shoulder.  “He’s not around, but Lexa can probably help you out.”  With that, Raven was off, disappearing through the door before Lexa had time to protest.

“The hot doctor, eh?”  Clarke took a tentative step through the door, half embarrassed, half annoyed by Ravens comment.

Lexa stared at the rope in her hands, as she continued to coil it, trying her best not to turn bright red.  “Oh, yeah.  Lincoln’s words, not mine. Guy talk.  Sorry.”

Clarke nodded. “So…”  She looked around the room curiously, eyes wide.  “Listen, Lincoln was going to give me a tour today but, if he’s not here, then I can come back another time.  You seem busy and…”

“No!” Lexa blurted out, startling Clarke without meaning to.  “I’m not. Busy, I mean.  I can show you around if you like.”

Clarke hesitated, Lexa’s awkwardness around her making her feel a bit uncomfortable.  She paused, taking a moment to consider the girls offer, before nodding.  “That’d be great. Thank you.”

Lexa cast aside the cargo rope, furiously wiping her hands on the legs her tan, canvas overalls.  She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves.  “I should probably thank you.”

“For what?

Lexa finally looked Clarke in the eyes.  “For not saying anything to Director Kane about the other morning.  I mean, fraternizing isn’t prohibited, but it’s frowned upon by Director Kane. I’m a bit of a prior offender.”

Clarke nodded, trying her best not to look judgmental.  “Yeah, I think I’ve heard a few about that.”  Clarke’s demeanor finally softened, one corner of her mouth turning up in a hint of a smile.  “People seem to think that you’re a real ladies man.”  Clarke stopped, immediately correcting the statement.  “Ladies lady, I mean.  Anyway, don’t worry about it. “  She winked. "Your secret is safe with me.”

Lexa breathed a sigh of relief, as the awkward tension finally broke between the two of them.  She smiled at Clarke, thankful that she seemed to have a sense of humor, and an open mind.  “Thanks.  So, you want to meet the dogs?”

Clarke smiled, biting her lower lip in a way that made Lexa’s heart skip a beat.  “Would that be ok?”

Lexa nodded enthusiastically, waving for Clarke to follow her as she dawned her jacket once more. “Just a warning though, it smells like wet dog in there.”

They made their way out of the tack room and into a large, cold, building with a packed snow floor.   From wall to wall, the whole place was lined with wire enclosures, each one with a tiny log hut at the back, and a name tacked above it.

Lexa pointed down the rows.  “This is where they hang out when they are off duty.  Usually, sled dogs are kenneled outdoors, but one of the stipulations of  us bringing back the program was that we needed to have greater oversight regarding cross-species exposure and waste management.”

She waved her hand around the building indiscriminately.  “We built this place so that we could isolate the dogs without getting them too used to being indoors.”  She grinned, “hence the snow floor and lack of heat.”  Lexa smirked as she watched Clarke shiver and rub her hands together.  

Lexa led Clarke to the first enclosure on the left and pointed inside.  A medium sized white and reddish tan husky slept on top of its hut.  The dog opened one almond shaped eye, peering at Lexa.  It raising its head, yawning dramatically and resettling itself before going back to sleep.

Lexa smiled and motioned for Clarke to come closer.  “That’s Tootega.  Tega, for short.”

“Where did the name Tootega come from?”

“She’s a deity in Inuit mythology. She appears as an old woman and walks on water.  It seemed like an appropriate namesake for a lead sled dog, considering the occupation.”

Clarke smiled and turned her head to the side a bit, looking at the sleeping canine curiously.  “You have a female lead dog?”

Lexa nodded, leaning in closer to the pen, and attempting to call the dog to her.  “Absolutely.  Technically, you can use either, but most mushers will tell you that females make better leads.”

“Why is that?”

Lexa grinned as she looked at Clarke, winking confidently as though she was about to reveal sage wisdom. “Same as humans.  Females are just plain smarter than males, and more intuitive; better instincts.”

Clarke smiled back at Lexa, the dimples on her cheeks becoming more prominent.  “I like that.”

Tootega, finally acknowledging Lexa, jumped down from her hut, and making her way over towards the women.  She eyed Clarke suspiciously as she approached, stopping a few feet away and sniffed indignantly in her direct, before turned around, retreating inside her hut.

Lexa chuckled.  “Don’t worry about that.  She’s a bit of a diva.”

They made their way to the next kennel, and Lexa pointed at the tuft of brown and gray fur sticking out from the door of the hut.  “This guy is my speed demon.  He doesn’t quite have the instincts to lead, but he’s crazy fast, and incredibly consistent.  That’s how he got his name, Iginla.”

“Another Inuit deity?”

“No, no no,” Lexa said, shaking her head vigorously.  “He’s named after Jarome Iginla.”

Clarke could only manage a look of confusion, as raised her hands and shrugged.

Lexa looked back at her skeptically.  “Jarome Iginla.  The hockey player?”

Clarke just shrugged again.  “I’ve never actually watched hockey.”

Lexa took a step back, placing her hand on her chest in mock horror.  “Doc!  What have you been doing with your life?”

They made their way to the next enclosure, where a set of ears were just visible where they poked out from a mound of snow.  Lexa whistled, and the black and white husky buried beneath sprang to his feet looking around intently.  His bright blue eyes fixed on Lexa.  “This is Frost.  Frosty is the ladies man of the bunch.  The women around the base love him.”

Lexa smirked, feeling just bold enough to push her luck with the lovely doctor.  “I mean… Who wouldn’t fall for eyes like those?”  Lexa peered over at Clarke, waiting for the line to sink in, hoping that she hadn’t crossed a line.  Thankfully, Clarke didn’t seem offended so much as bashfully, pursing her lips as she blushed and looked away.

The next pen held an all white female named Juneau, the one after that, a black and tan husky mix named Kodiak, the next two, white and brown Canadian Eskimo Dogs named Romulus and Remus.  At the final enclosure, Lexa put a finger over her mouth, waving to Clarke, who crept forward on quietly, trying not to chuckle when she saw the sight inside.  There, fast asleep on his back, all four legs in the air, was a giant, grey-brown Malamute.  The dog grunted, snorting loudly as he slept.  Lexa chuckled, shaking her head and leaning to whisper in Clarke’s ear.   “That’s is Big Gus.  He’s the grandad of the bunch.”

Clarke looked over the sleeping animal thoughtfully.  “Gus?  Why such a normal name?

Lexa stared at the dog reverently.  “He’s named after my dad.  My mother died giving birth to me, and my older brother was already in college by the time I was born, so it was just him and me when I was growing up.  He was my idol.  Incredible musher too, by the way.  He ran the Iditarod when he was younger, taught me most of what I know.”

Clarke waited for her to continue, sensing there was more to the story.  “Anyway,  I got Big Gus right after dad passed away.  I guess his personality just reminded me of him, goofy, sweet.  He looks intimidating, but he’s a big teddy bear.”

Clarke shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to say.  “Lexa… I’m sorry to hear about you father.  Do you mind if I ask how he passed?”

Lexa nodded.  “It’s fine.  He had a stroke when I was sixteen.  We lived in a pretty isolated town, Homer, Alaska.  I was at school when it happened, and he was out on the sled trails with his team.  He managed to get himself home, but by the time the medics got there, it was too late.  He died a couple of days later in the hospital.

Clarke remained silent, knowing that it was best to let Lexa pick the conversation up when she felt ready.

“Anyway, I moved to Juneau to live with my brother and his wife after that.  That’s where Lincoln and I met.  He was the junior sled racing champion there.

Clarke cocked an eyebrow at the final detail of the story.  “Really? Lincoln grew up racing dog sleds?”

Lexa smirked.  “Does that surprise you?”

Clarke fidgeted nervously, a little afraid of answering honestly.  “I mean, I never imaged that there were many…”

“Many big black guys in dog sledding?”

Clarke immediately turned red, as Lincoln’s voice filled the room.  She palmed her forehead and looked at his sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Lincoln!  Am I awful for thinking that?”

Lexa’s chuckled at Clarke’s earnestness, shaking her head at the frazzled doctor.  Lincoln narrowed his eyes for a moment, feigning anger, before breaking character and laughing hysterically, unable to hold the act.

“Presumptuous maybe, but not awful, and actually, you aren’t wrong.  There aren’t many on the professional circuit.  I think Barry MacAlpine and his son Norman were the only big names until this Jamaican guy, Normal Marshall, started running the Iditarod in 2010.  He came in 43rd out of something like 70 people a few years ago.”  Lincoln turned away from the enclosure and motioned for Clarke and Lexa to follow him back to the tack room.  Once inside, he made his way to the lockers that were positioned against the back wall, opening one and pulling out a small picture frame.  He handed it to Clarke.

The picture was of him and Lexa as teenagers.  They stood, bundled in thick parkas and wooly hats, next to an old, bearded man wearing a sweatshirt with the words Native Pride across the front.  Lincoln crossed is arms, grinned as he peered down at the old photograph.  “My father was one of the first African-American helicopter pilots in the Coast Guard.  That’s how he met my mother, who is half French, and half Native Alaskan.  He got stationed at the base in Juneau after mom finishing her Master’s at the University of Alaska Southeast.  That’s my mom’s dad on the right.”

He pointed to the old man in the picture.  “That’s my Pawpaw.  He’s full blooded Yup’ik.  He’s the one who got me into dog sledding.”

Lexa leaned over, smiling at the old photograph.  “PawPaw is pretty awesome.  89 years old and still raising hell.”  She nudged Lincoln in his shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows.  “Tell Clarke how he met your grandmother.”

“Storming Normandy.”  Lincoln got a glimmer in his eye as he continued telling the story.  “PawPaw was with the 1st Infantry Division when they landed at Omaha Beach.  He met my grandmother a few days later when they rolled into some tiny French town.  She was from a Sephardic Jewish family.  When the German soldiers came to round up the Jews in her village, she was on her way home from work.  A neighbor grabbed her and hid her in his cellar, but her whole family got taken and sent to a camp.  Afterward, she joined the French resistance as a combatant.”

Clarke gazed at Lincoln wide-eyed.  “Wow.”

“I know.”

“I mean… Wow.”

He laughed.  “I know.”

Clarke though over what he had said for a moment, nodding as she processed the information.  “So, let me see if I have this straight.  You’re an Africa-American, Alaskan Native, Sephardic-Jew, with French roots and war hero grandparents.”

She paused, “and you dog sled.”

Lincoln laughed.  “You forgot to add that I’m unbearably handsome, but yes.” He winked at her, placing the photograph back in his locker.  “You just wait until I win the Iditarod.  The papers are gonna go nuts over me!”

Clarke rolled her eyes and watched Lexa punch her friend in the arm.  “Please, excuse my friend.  He’s still learning modesty.”

* * *

**October 12, 12:30 PM NZST:  
**

“Hey, Doc.”

Clarke and Wells looked up to see Lexa and Lincoln hovering over them, both holding overfull cafeteria trays.

“Are these seats taken?”

Clarke smiled at the wild looking girl.  Her hair was a mess, her face red and wind-whipped, snow lingering on her pants.

“Not at all.”

They sat, making hasty introductions to Wells before tucking into the heaps of food piled on their trays.  Wells chuckled as the two began devoured their lunch like ravenous animals, hunched over their bounty as though they hadn’t had a decent meal in years.  “Hungry?”

Lincoln answered him between bites of kielbasa with mustard.  “Mushumg uz hawd wurk,” he mumbling as he chewed.  He swallowed, repeating himself.  “Mushing is hard work.  It works up an appetite.  Right, Lex?”  Lexa nodded as she shoveled a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, struggling to swallow it.

Clarke nudged the other girl under the table, giggling at as Lexa grimaced at the strain of the too large mouthful.  “Slow down woman!  You’ll choke eating like that.”

Lexa swallowed another enormous mouthful of potato, washing it down with a sip of coffee before she finally took a breath.  “Sorry, I’m starving.  I missed breakfast this morning.”

Lincoln punched her in the arm, grinning wickedly.  “You mean you skipped it so you could fool around with that Swiss girl before the run.”

Lexa curse Lincoln silently, hoping that his omission hadn’t left Clarke thinking the worst of her.  An awkward silence settled over the group for a moment before Clarke finally spoke.

“Lexa, thanks again for showing me around the kennel the other day.  It was fun.”

Lexa nodded, as she took another gulp of coffee.  “No problem.  You should come down and hang out again some time.”

“Really?”

Lexa paused, not having realized that Clarke would take the comment seriously.  “Yeah.”

“I’d like that.”

For the rest of lunch, Lexa focused all her energy on the tray of food in front of her, doing her best to make small talk with the group.  Internally, however, she was all raw nerve, the possibility of being alone with Clarke played out in her mind.

* * *

**October 14, 5:30 PM NZST:**

The dog groaned as Clarke scratched behind the dog’s ears.  He groaned, closing his eyes and settling his head on the blonde’s lap as Lincoln worked to bandage his paw.  “Poor Gus,” Clarke patted his head.  “Will he be ok?”

Lexa nodded, smoothing her hand down Gus’ back to keep him calm.  “Oh, yeah.  It’s just a minor cut.  He’ll be okay in a few days.”

Wells let out a yelp behind them.  They turned to see him topple onto the floor as Tega jumped on him, licking his face madly.

“Tega, you flirt!”  Lexa shook her head, dragging the dog off of him.  “She seems to like you.”

Wells struck his tongue out, grimacing as he wiped the slobber from his face.  “I think that’s the most interest a woman has shown me in months.”

Lincoln cocked an eyebrow at the young man, laughing at his candor.  “Clarke, you punishing this poor guy for something?”

“Excuse me?”

Lincoln looked over at the blonde, realizing that she seemed offended by his question.  “Oh, sorry! I just thought that you two were…”

“Together?”

Lincoln nodded.

Clarke rolled her eyes at him, huffing a little, and turning her attention back Gus.  “We’re just friends, but you’re not the first person to think that.  People always assumed that we’re a couple, even back at our hospital.   G-d forbid a woman and a man just hang out together.”

Lincoln shot Clarke an apologetic look, shrugging.  “Sorry.”  He grinned sheepishly, as he finished bandaging Gus’ paw, stepping back to admired his handiwork.  “I’m sure people would think that about Lexa and me too if she weren’t warming the beds of half the women on this station.”

It was Lexa’s turn to be offended now.  She turned bright red, punching Lincoln in the thigh and screwed up her face.  “Hey!  It’s hardly half the women on the base!”

Clarke laughed, as Lincoln as he yelped.  He picked up his Charlie horsed leg and hopped around.  The doctor looked at Lexa, still fuming and red faced.  “So you’re saying you’re not a player?”

“Ugh!  I hate being described that way,” Lexa groaned, returning her attention to Gus, who had sprawled himself on the floor, rolling over on his back to offer her his expansive stomach.

Wells, took a seat next to her, finally having rid himself of the dog slobber.  “Why is that?”

Lexa sighed, rubbing Gus’ belly with one hand and brushing her wild hair out of her eyes with the other.  “Because I feel like there’s a certain amount of implied dishonesty that comes with that label, and that’s not me.”

She scowled. “You can accuse me a lot of things, but being sleazy and lying to women isn’t one of them.  I mean, sure, I do fool around with a few girl, but so what?  It’s not like I’m predatory.  Most of those women pursue me, not the other way around.”

Lexa sighed, standing up and leading Gus back to his enclosure.  “Maybe you haven’t been here long enough to see it yet Wells, but being at this station is kind of a mind fuck after awhile. It’s long hours, high stress, tons of work, but when there’s downtime, there is a lot of it.  People get bored.  They get lonely, and they trying to kill time or relive stress any way they can.”

Lexa waited for Gus to limp into his pen before closing the gate behind him and latching it.  She made her way back over to the group, sitting beside Lincoln, who was still rubbing his thigh.

“Most of those women are using me as a means to an end, and that’s fine.  I get it.  It’s a lot easier for them to fool around with me than to risk their reputations hook up with one of their coworkers.  If that mean I get laid, great.”

Clarke smirked at her, “You don’t exactly seem like you’re beating them off with a stick though.”

Lexa shrugged.  “I won’t say I don’t enjoy the attention, but that doesn’t mean that I want people to think that I’m trying to get into the pants of every woman on this station.”

Wells rolled his eyes at her.  “Well, I wish I had your problems.  The last time a girl asked me out was the in fourth grade.  The girls I meet all want bad boys,” he said with a hint of bitterness, narrowing his eyes at the thought.  “Women don’t exactly consider being a pharmacist a sexy career field.  It doesn’t help that the only sport I ever played was chess.”

Lincoln and Lexa both burst out laughing as Wells removed a wrinkled photograph from his wallet, handing it to them.  The picture showed a young Wells, braces and coke bottle glasses, clutching a black knight in his fingers.  A skinny girl with a long blonde braid sat across from him in the photo.

Lexa pointed to the figure in the picture.  “Is that you Clarke?”

Clarke nodded, leaning over to look at the photo and smiling at the memory.  “Yup!  I think we must have been seven or eight there.”

Wells nodded, folding the photograph and putting it back in his wallet.  “As you can tell I was an awkward kid.”

Clarke pushed him playfully, “Don’t say that, Wells.  You were cute!”

“I was a geek!”  Clarke was just about my only friend until we got to high school.  Once the braces came off, and I got contacts, girls started to notice me, but they always lost interest quickly.  Still, do actually.

Clarke chuckled at her friend.  “Poor Wells has nice guy syndrome.  He’s always falling for girls that are into…”

“Jerks,” Wells finished her sentence grimacing.  “They’re into lying, cheating, jerks.  I’ve been trying to meet someone nice, but I’ve been single now for over a year.  That’s part of why I decided to come up here.  I figured it might make me a little more impressive to women.”

Clarke placed her arm around Wells’ shoulders, squeezing him and leaning her forehead against his.  “You’re plenty impressive Wells.  You should let me try to set you up with someone when we get back.”

Wells rolled this eyes.  “You just worry about yourself lady.”  He pointed at her.  “You know this one has been single for almost seven years now.”

“What?!”  Lexa’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.  It was hard for her to imagine that Clarke was single, let along chronically so.  She would have thought that Clarke had men and women lining up to ask her out.  “How is that even possible?”

Clarke shrugged.  “I’ve had other priorities.”

Wells patting her leg.  “Clarke’s been pretty busy the last few year what with school and work, and the b….”

“Ehem!”

Clarke cleared her throat loudly, and Wells froze mid-sentence, noticing that his friend was glaring daggers at him.  He shook his head quickly, realizing his almost slip.  “The boards! Studying for her boards has taken up a lot of her time.”

Lexa and Lincoln seemed confused by the exchange that had just taken place.  The door to the tack room opened before either one could think on it for too long.

“What the heck Lex?!  You were supposed to meet me at the chow hall an hour ago!”

Lexa turned to see Raven crutching toward her, grease on her face, the top of her jumpsuit tied around her waist.  “Oh, shit!  Raven, I’m so sorry!  I lost track of time.”

Lexa turned back to the rest of the group.  “Clarke, Wells, this is my friend Raven Reyes.  She’s the chief engineer over at facilities.”

Raven extended her hand to the two friends.  “Hey!  Hot Doc, you’re back!”

Clarke rolled her eyes in annoyance, taking the girls hand and shaking it firmly.  “I prefer Clarke.”

Raven nodded, turning to Wells.  “And you are?”

Wells stared at Raven, wide-eyed and froze to his seat.  Finally, he seemed to recover his sense, jumping to his feet.

“Wells!  I’m Wells.  It’s nice to meet you Raven.”

Lincoln and Lexa watched as the flustered young man awkwardly thrust his hand toward Raven.  They smirked, exchanged knowing glances, and trying not to giggle.

* * *

**October 23rd, 9:45 PM NZST:**

Clarke strode through the doors of the empty chow hall, desperate for a cup of coffee after the long day she’d had.  At 7 AM she’d arrived at the clinic to find a line of patients that went out the door, and she’d been working steadily since then.  A particularly nasty strain of rhinovirus had hit the station, and from the number of patients that had kept her busy long into the night, Clarke could tell it wasn’t taking any prisoners.  She sighed as she dropped into a seat, letting her head rest against the cool tabletop.  The wood thudded as Wells dropped into the seat next to her, placing two cups of coffee on the table, and resting his head in his hands.  “I’m exhausted.”

“Tell me about it.”

“All I want to do is go back to my dorm room and sleep, but I don’t think I have enough energy to move.”

“Dido.”

The two sat there for a moment, neither one moving, neither one speaking, until Wells finally rose, stretching and yawning.  “Ok, I’m headed back to the dorms.  You coming?”

Clarke picked her head up off the table and let out a long, slow breath.  “In a bit.  I want to wait until my roommate takes off for the night shift.  She snores, and if I go back now, she’ll just keep me up.”

Wells shrugged.  “Suit yourself.”  He grabbed his coffee and made his way back out of the room.

Clarke put her head back on the table, staring at the cup of coffee that Wells had left for her.  She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep exactly, but the next thing the doctor knew, she woke to the sound of a clearing throat.

“Ehem!”

Clarke grunted, peering up through half-lidded eyes at the person leaning over her.”

“Looking good, Doc.”

Clarke wiped the drool from her face as she stood. “Oh, Lexa!  Sorry, I guess I nodded off.  What time is it?”

“About 10:30 PM.”

Clarke’s eyes bulged at the realization that she’d been asleep for nearly an hour.  She groaned, looking at the coffee that had gone cold.

“Thanks for waking me up.  I didn’t mean to fall asleep I was just… I was just trying to kill time until my roommate woke up and left for work.  She snores.  Loudly.”

Lexa sat, dusting the snow off her head and breathing into her hands to warm them.  “Long day?”

Clarke nodded.  Half the base has the flu, and I haven’t had a chance to sit down all day.  My neck and back are killing me.”

Lexa nodded.  “I think I can help with that.  You game for a shoulder rub?”

Clarke nodded, turning her back toward Lexa, as the girl straddled the bench and settled her friend’s frame between her thighs.  Clarke felt the tension drain slowly from her shoulders as Lexa began working the aching muscles of her shoulder with her firm, strong hands.

“Oh my gosh Lexa, you are fantastic at this.”

“How do you think I reel in the ladies?”

Clarke realized the implications of Lexa’s statement and screwed up her face.  “Ugh, what a line!  And here I was just starting to like you, Woods.”

Lexa laughed at how quickly Clarke dismissed her.  “Ok, ok.  No smooth talk.”  She moved from Clark’s shoulders to her neck, rubbing it in small, slow circles.

“So, when does your roommate head to work?”

Clarke groaned as she looked at her watch.  “Ugh… Not for another hour and a half.”

Lexa nodded at her and thought for a moment.  “Well, you can come sleep with me if you like.”

The comment startled Clarke and Lexa immediately backpedaled, realizing too late how it had sounded.  “Not a line!  Not a line, I swear!  I just meant, in my room.  I haven’t gotten a new suite mate since the last one went back stateside, and I don’t snore.  At least I don’t think I do.”

Clarke thought over the offer for a minute, looking at her watch, and feeling her eyelids get heavier by the second.  “You promise, no funny business?”

Lexa laughed, doing her best not to feel wounded by Clarke’s suspicion.  “Cross my heart.”

Clarke stood.  “Alright, then.”

* * *

**October 24th: 5:37 AM NZST:**

Clarke woke with a start at the thump of a nearby door being closed too hard.  She rubbed her eyes, peering down at her watch, groaning when she saw how early it was.  She looked over at the empty bed across from her, realizing that she was alone.  The bed that Lexa had vacated had been made with pinpoint accuracy; the sheets pulled taught and tucked into hospital corners.  Clarke’s bed was never made with that much attention to detail.  She was always in too much of a hurry in the mornings, frequently settling for throwing the comforter over the disheveled sheets to hide them, tossing the pillows wherever they landed.  

Clarke stretched.  She was surprised by how tidy the place was.  A little cluttered perhaps, but the room looked overall neat and well ordered.  It wasn’t exactly what she had expected from the wild, dog-sledding girl.  The door creaked open, and Clarke turned to see Lexa enter, carrying two steaming mugs of coffee.

“Oh, sorry!  Did I wake you?”

Clarke shook her head, smiling as Lexa handed her a mug.  “No, not at all.  I just woke up.”  She yawned, pulling the sheets up to her chest.  “Thank you, by the way.”

She raised the mug, indicating how much she appreciated the gesture and took a short sip.  “Wow!  Milk no sugar.  How did you know?”

Lexa grinned, as she sat down on the end of her bed.  “I ran into Wells, and he filled me in.”

Clarke nodded finishing her coffee and setting the mug down on the bedside table.  “Well, I better get going.  I have to be at the clinic soon.”  She climbed out of the sheets, slipping on her shoes and doing her best to make the bed neatly.  As she slid on her coat, she turned back to Lexa, pursing her lips for a moment and considering something.  “I should thank you properly for letting me crash.  Honestly, that’s probably the best nights sleep I’ve had since I got here.”

Lexa waved her hand.  “It’s no big deal.  You can crash any time you like.”

Clarke smiled at the generous offer.  “Careful lady, I just might take you up on that.”

Lexa looked at her feet, hiding her face so that Clarke couldn’t tell that she was blushing.  As far as she was concerned, Clarke could come by every night if she wanted.

Clarke finished zipping up her jacket and began making her way to the door, turning back to Lexa as she opened it.  “Look, I just got this big care package from my parents.  My mom sent brownies and my dad,”  she laughed.  “He slipped in a bottle of bourbon.”

Lexa smiled, cocking her eyebrow curiously.  “He does know there are like three bars here, doesn’t he?”

Clarke shook her head.  “I think he assumes the conditions here are little more austere than that.  For all I know, he thinks I’m living in an igloo.”

The two girls laughed, and Clarke leaned against the door frame, shaking her head at the ridiculous notion.  “Anyway, my roommate is leaving this afternoon for one of the smaller bases, so I’ve got the place to myself, and I have tomorrow off.  I was thinking about cracking open that bourbon and relaxing.

Clarke zipped up her coat, smiling at Lexa as she started pulling on her gloves.  “You should come by and have a drink with me, as a thank you for letting me stay here.  We could watch a movie, dig into those brownies.”

Clarke tapped her foot nervously when Lexa didn’t answer right away.  “Honestly you’d be doing me a favor.  Other than Wells you and Lincoln are the only people I know here, and I’d be happy for the company.”  Clarke bit her bottom lip nervously, triggering a familiar flutter in Lexa’s stomach.

Lexa felt sweat forming on her skin, as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind.  Had Clarke just asked her on a date, or was this simply a friendly invitation to hangout?  She considered the possibilities, deciding a moment later that she didn’t care.  “Sure.  That sounds like fun.”

Clarke smiled from ear to ear and she straightened up.  “Great!  Is 8:30 ok?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

With that, Clarke finished dressing and left, leaving Lexa to marinate in confused anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> Obviously, I make the final decisions about where the story goes, but I love getting feedback and I am always open to your suggestions. If you guys have strong feelings/ideas about where you're hoping the story goes, let me know! The best way to reach me is via Twitter, since I get those updates on my phone and it's easy for me to response right away: https://twitter.com/insideabunker
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> Cheers!

**October 24th, 2:30 PM NZST:**

“But what  _kind_  of hang out do you think she meant, Lincoln?”

Lincoln shook his head as he worked to inventory supplies in the tack room.  As much as he enjoyed watching his usually cool and collected friend unravel into a nervous wreck, they had been discussing Clarke’s invitation for over an hour now, and Lincoln had run up against the limits of his ability to discuss social innuendo.  “I think you’re just gonna have to wait and see, kiddo.”

Lexa groaned at his lack of concrete answers.  She buried her fingers in her hair and began to pace around the room anxiously.  “Just tell me what you think.”

“Honestly?”

Lexa nodded, steeling herself for Lincoln’s response.  Her best friend was a straight talker.  If he was asking for confirmation on whether or not he could be honest with her; it meant he was about to tell her something that she didn’t want to her.

“I don’t know for sure Lex, but she seems like she’s pretty straight to me.  I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

Lexa grumbled, kicking at the corner of a large lock box despondently as she returned to writing down inventory numbers.  After a moment she returned to pacing the room.  “You didn’t see how she asked me.  It was… I don’t know what it was, but I’m telling you, there was subtext!”

Lincoln groaned, rolling his eyes as he recoiled the rope he’d just finished inspecting for wear.  “So then just play it by ear!.”  He tied the rope in a bundle and hung it back on its hook before taking a seat on the large gearbox by the back wall.  He eyed Lexa studiously, carefully considering his friend’s demeanor. “What is it with the Doc anyway?  You never get nervous about girls.”

Lexa shrugged.  She took a seat beside him, tossing her clipboard aside and leaning her head against the wall.  “Honestly, I don’t know.  She makes me nervous.  I’m sorry.  I know that I’m being obnoxious.”

Lincoln chuckled and shook his head at the frazzled brunette.

“What?”  She cast him an annoyed sideways look.

“Nothing.”

“What?!”

Lexa felt Lincoln’s large hand on the shoulder.  He gave it a squeeze and winked.  “It’s just about time, that’s all.”

“About time for what?”

He winked at her again.  Without another word, he rose and walking out of the tack room.

* * *

**October 24th, 8:30 PM NZST:**

Lexa took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she gathered her nerve and raised her hand to knock.  Before she had a chance, the door swung open, revealing a smirking Clarke.  “I heard you walk up three minutes ago.  Figured I’d put you out of your misery.”

The insinuation of Clarke’s words ran through her head, and Lexa turned bright red with embarrassment. Apparently, Clarke knew she was nervous, and not being on a level social playing field was making Lexa sweat.  She took a hesitant step into the dorm room, trying to figure out the least awkward way to proceed.  “Is there somewhere I can put my coat?”

“Just throw it on the chair.”  Clarke pointed to the empty desk on the vacant side of the room and padded behind her bookshelf, returning with a postal box stuffed full of food.  She set it down on her bed, pulling out a bottle of bourbon.  “Drink?”

Lexa nodded, noticing for the first time that Clarke was clad in a pair of old college sweatpants and an oversized, long sleeve t-shirt.  “Hardly date attire,” Lexa thought disappointedly.  She watched as Clarke grabbed two glasses and placed a bit of ice in both, pouring a moderate amount of liquor into each one.  The blonde handed a glass to Lexa, before taking a seat in an armchair and grabbing the remote control.  She flipped on the small television that sat against the far wall.  “Any preference on movies?”

Lexa took a swig of her drink, attempting to steady her nerves.  “I don’t know.  Did you have something mind?”

“Actually…” Clarke smirked and bit her lip.  The gesture elicited its usual heart fluttering reaction from Lexa.  “I thought that maybe we could watch a movie about hockey since you’re such a fan?  You know of any good ones?”

Lexa relaxed, finally armed with a subject that could easily be used to drum up small talk.  “Oh man, do I!”  She sank into the chair next to Clarke, talking the Apple remote from her companion and flipping through the search menu.  “You want underdog pond hockey team vs. NHL players or 1980’s American college students vs. Russian Olympians?”

* * *

**October 24th, 9:10 PM NZST:**

Forty minutes and three drinks later, Lexa and Clarke sat laughing and devouring brownies.  Mystery, Alaska was frozen on the screen, paused so that Lexa could answer Clarke’s numerous questions.  The awkwardness of earlier was gone, and Lexa was at ease, genuinely enjoying the doctor’s company.

Clarke swallowed a mouthful of brownie as she tried to stifle a giggle.  “How have I never seen this movie?”

“Beats me, woman.”  The brunette reached over to grab another brownie, never taking her eyes off the screen.  She froze when her hand collided with a picture frame, knocking it over.  Lexa jumped to her feet immediately, apologizing profusely and scrabbling to recover the item, relieved to see that the frame and glass were undamaged when she picked it up.  She paused as she placed it back on the table, examining the image inside.  Two remarkably similar looking boys grinned back at her from inside the frame, arms around each other, toothy grins wide, their light brown hair falling in their bright blue eyes.

She smiled at Clarke, pointing at the photograph.  “Nephews?  I’ve got one too, Aden, he’s 13.”

Clarke’s head snapped over to Lexa, freezing when she saw the picture.  Suddenly, there was a noticeable shift in Clark’s demeanor.  Where moments ago she had been loose and relaxed, she was now guarded and nervous.  “They aren’t my nephews.”

Lexa set the picture back on the table and sat back down.  “Oh, a friend’s kids then?”

Clarke shook her head, shifting uncomfortably.  “Lexa…”

“Cousins?”

“Lexa…”

Lexa grabbed another brownie, turning back to the movie.  “There not you’re little brother are they?”

“Lexa.”

Clarke’s tone startled Lexa, and she turned back to see the doctor’s brow creased with worry. “You ok?”

Clarke sighed, nodding.  She picked up the photograph and examine it, her smile tentative as she placed it down again.  “Yeah, it’s just…”  She tapped her foot nervously, as Lexa waited for her to continue.  “Lexa, those kids are my sons, Charlie and Max.”

Lexa was speechless, though her thoughts were racing.  How could Clarke be a mother?  She seemed so young to have not just one child, but of two.  Lexa searched for a way to respond that didn’t sound too curious, or judgmental.

“I… Um.”  Lexa wracked her brain for an intelligent question, managing to settle on one she immediately regretted.  “How?”  She shook her head quickly, realizing her ridiculous the question sounded.  “I mean, obviously I know how.  What I meant was… Sorry, it’s just that you…  You said…  Are you divorced?”

For the life of her, Lexa couldn’t manage to string more than four words together without asking something offensive.  She cringed, hoping that Clarke wasn’t furious with her.

To her credit, Clarke placed her hand on top of Lexa’s and nodded understandingly.  She settled back in her chair with an apologetic smile.  “Look, it’s honestly a long story.”

Happy to have been interrupted before she could ask something even more insensitive, Lexa paused the movie again.  She set down the remote and gave Clarke the most sincere look she could muster.  “I’ve got time.”

Clarke nodded her head, curling her legs into her chest.  She wrapped her arms around them, took a deep breath, blowing it out as she stared at Lexa.

“I’m not divorced.  The boys’ father and I dated for a long time, but we were never married.  I love my kids, but they weren’t exactly planned.”

Lexa nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“Finn, their father, was my best friend in college.  When in our freshman seminar, when I was seventeen.  He was handsome and charming, and he had an excellent sense of humor.  Girls were crazy about him, but he was never sleazy about it.  You two have that in common.”

Clarke smiled, relaxing in her chair, and gazing off into space.  “He was an amazing guitarist.  I used to sit and listen to him playing for hours.”  She paused.  “We started dating at the end of Freshman year, and by the end of our Sophomore, we were practically living together.  Just after the beginning of our Junior year, Finn’s band got an offer to be the opening act on a cross-country tour.  It was a tremendous opportunity for him, so I told him to go.  We agreed to try and work things out long distance, and in February, he came back to visit.”

Lexa nodded.

“We spent that weekend together, and then he left to go back to the tour.  About five weeks later, I went to the university health clinic with the flu, and found out that I was pregnant.”

Lexa’s eyes grew wide as she processed Clarke’s story.  “And he just left you?”

Clarke’s gaze drifted back to Lexa, her head shaking vigorously.  “Oh!  No, no, Finn was incredible.  When I told him, he said all the right things; that he’d support me no matter what, that it was my body, that I got to make whatever decision I wanted.”

Lexa swallowed hard, hoping her next question didn’t offend Clarke.  “Did you ever… Think about other options?”

Clarke nodded.  “I did.  Honestly, if I’d been with anyone other than Finn, I’d probably have made a different choice.  The thing is, even though he said that he wanted whatever was best for me, I could tell he also really wanted the baby.  Finn grew up in foster care, and the idea of family was kind of… It was important to him.”

Clarke shifted in her chair, inhaling and puffing up her cheeks as she blew the breath out again.  “When I told my parents I was going to keep the pregnancy, they were so angry that they refused to speak to me.  Finn was so happy though that it didn’t even matter.  He immediately dropped out of the tour.  He got a job, two actually so that I could keep going to classes.  We moved into an apartment together, and for a while, it seemed like things were going to be ok.  When we found out we were having twins, I cried for two days, but it didn’t phase Finn at all.  I was twenty and terrified, but he was… He was so confident that we would make things work that it made me less afraid.  He was unusual like that.”

Clarke pulled at a loose thread on her sweatpants.  “I was already a semester ahead in school, so I managed to take a term off just before the boys were born.  When I started school again, Finn switched to night shifts so that he could watch the babies while I was in class.”  He was incredible with them.  He learned how to use cloth diapers so we could save money.  He played his guitar for them and sang them to sleep when they were fussy.”  When Clarke looked back up at Lexa, her eyes had become the tiniest bit glassy.  “He would have been an amazing father.”

Clarke’s use of the past tense didn’t go unnoticed by Lexa.  She hesitated, unsure of whether or not she should even ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue.  “Would have?”

Clarke sighed, casting her eyes to the floor, and wiping at her face with the back of her hand.  “About two weeks after I graduated, he was coming home early in the morning, and he stopped at a convenience store.  While he was inside, a guy walked in and pulled a gun on the cashier.”  She paused to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat.  “The police officer that came to the apartment afterward said that Finn was trying to talk him down when the gun went off.  He died on the way to the hospital.”

Lexa had no idea what the appropriate thing to say was.  She reached out, placing her hand on Clarke’s shoulder.  “Clarke, I’m so sorry.”

The young woman cleared her throat, looking up at Lexa and nodding.  “You know, at the trial, I wanted the guy who shot him to be a monster.  The thing is, I don’t think he even meant to shoot him.  I think he just got scared and panicked.  Honestly, he wasn’t that different from Finn.  He was a young kid with a family.  I guess he’d just reached the end of his rope trying to provide for them.”  She cleared her throat, steadying herself.

“Same circumstances, different outcome,” Clarke said sadly.  “Anyway, after Finn passed, my parent finally came around.  I’d been accepted to medical school back in New York City, so they let me move back home with them.  They even helped me pay for a nanny so that I could finish school.”

Lexa ran a hand through her hair and stared at the picture on the table.  “Is that who’s taking care of your kids while you’re here?  Your parents?”

Clarke nodded.  “Leaving the boys nearly broke my heart, but working down here pays a lot more than my residency, and honestly, I need to get us out of my parent’s place.  Don’t get me wrong.  They’re great with the boys, and they’ve been a huge help, but I don’t want Charlie and Max growing up in the city, in someone else’s apartment.  I hate that they are living in a hi-rise, without a backyard.  Our street barely even have trees.”

Clarke groaned, “Anyway, my residency is over in a year.  When I  finish, I’m moving us somewhere new, somewhere green, with wide open spaces.  That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to come down here when Wells told me there was another open spot.  I’m making enough working there that I can save up for a down payment.”

They sat in silence for a bit, though, given what they had just discussed it didn’t feel as awkward or uncomfortable as Lexa would have expected.  She wanted to let Clarke’s story marinate before asking any more questions.  After carefully considered everything the doctor had told her, Lexa decided there was one thing on which she still needed clarification.  “Clarke, can I ask you something?”

Clarke nodded.

“You said that you hadn’t dated anyone in almost seven years.  Is that because of your kids, or is that Finn?  Are you not over him?”

Clarke sat up straighter in her chair, furrowing and looking contemplative as she thought about her answer.  “At first, it was about Finn.  I’d have moments where I would think, ‘ok, I’m starting to getting over this,’ but then one of the boys would do something that reminded me of their father, and it was like I was back at square one.”

She exhaled a long, slow breath.  “After a couple of years, I stopped missing Finn as much, although it still breaks my heart knowing that the boys will never get to know him.  I did go out on a few dates, but I never connected with any of them the way I did with Finn.“

Clarke shrugged and took a sip of her bourbon.  "And anyway, I’m just too busy.  I was busy with medical school, now I’m busy at my residency, and I’m always busy with my kids.  

Lexa propped her elbow on one of the chair arms and rested her chin in her palm.  “So, Finn was your one and only?”

Clarke considered the question for a moment.  “Well, maybe more like one of two.  I was definitely in love with my girlfriend, in high school.”

Lexa froze, sure that she had misheard Clarke.  “Come again?”

Clarke smiled at her, rolling her eyes.  “You hear me.  My only other long term relationship was with my high school girlfriend.  We had dated for about two years before she moved away.”

Lexa was utterly speechless, eyes wide, mouth hanging open a bit.  “So, you’re…”

Clarke nodded.  “Yes, I am.”

Deciding it was probably the wrong time to press the issue, Lexa turned her attention back to the photograph of Clarke’s sons, picking it up and flashing the picture in the blonde’s direction.  “So, you gonna tell me more about these kids or what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	4. Chapter 4

**October 26th, 10:15 PM NZST:**

“I think you should consider it.”

Clarke threw rolled up gauze at Wells.  “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

The taller boy swatted the refuse away, rolling his eyes dramatically.  “Clarke, you’ve spent the past seven years putting everyone else’s needs before your own.”

“So what?”  She shook her head, recounting the prepackaged bandages and iodine swabs in the cabinet.

“So, this is an opportunity to think about yourself for once.”

When Clarke didn’t reply, Wells hopped off the exam table, making his way over to the supply cabinet she was inventorying.

“Lexa is obviously into you.”  He leaned in, placing a hand on top of hers.  “There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun. You could keep it casual.”

Clarke finally gave up on the inventory, abandoning her task for the moment.  She took a seat, leaning back against the cabinet as she stared defeatedly at her friend.  “Wells, I’m not casual. I’ve never been casual.”

The boy sighed, resting his palm on her knee.  “But,” he paused, unsure how willing he was to tread into the murky waters of Clarke’s emotional life.  “It seems as though you like her too.”

Wells slumped down next to her, smiling earnestly.  “There’s a particular smile you get when you’re around Lexa.  I haven’t seen it since…”

“Don’t,” she cautioned, shooting him a serious look.

“I’m just saying.”

Clarke pushed herself off the floor, avoiding his gaze as she turned her attention back to the cabinet, and began rifling through the top shelf.  “Finn and I had a four-year relationship and two sons together; I hardly think there’s a comparison.”

Wells groaned.  “Clarke, the last person you looked at that way was Collins.  You can avoid the subject all you like, but that has to mean something.”

An irritated groan echoed inside the cabinet.  “Wells, don’t you have pills to count?”  

Clarke spun around, tossing another packet of gauze at him.  “Besides, you’re one to talk.  I saw the way you looked at that Raven girl.  Have you gone to see her yet?”

Wells frowned, his mouth puckering as though he’d just eaten a lemon wedge.  “I’m waiting for the right moment.”

The friends stared each other down, equally annoyed, neither one willing to break eye contact first, thereby admitting defeat.  Finally, Wells growled in frustration.

“Look, just talk to Lexa.  There’s no harm in feeling out the situation.”

Clarke huffed. “Fine!”

“Fine!”  With that Wells walked back towards the pharmacy, leaving Clarke to stew over the triage supplies.

* * *

**October 26th, 2:15 PM NZST:**

“Two kids, Lexa. Two of them.” Lincoln dropped a pallet full of equipment onto his sled as he spoke, and began stacking his survival gear on top of it.

“Not just one.”  He dropped a mammoth looking tent bag onto the load.  “Two.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, annoyed at how predictably single, male, twenty-something he was being.

“Yeah, so what?”

Lincoln looked at her as though she were an idiot, staring at her stoically for a beat before he returned to loading the sleigh with supplies.  “So, she isn’t some Ph.D. candidate who’s up here on an unpaid internship.”

He flung the large canvas flaps of the sleigh closed and pulled the security cord that bound the two together, synching them closed to secure the load.  “Clarke isn’t going to want to get involved with someone while she’s up here.  She has responsibilities.”

Lexa frowned, “You mean she has baggage.”

He shot her an annoyed glare.  “No, I mean she has different priorities.”  He tugged the rope again and fastened it with a top knot.  “Her two kids, specifically.”

Lexa set about testing the lines on his sled, double checking to make sure they were tight enough.  She tugged at a rope and nodded when it showed no signs of play.  “What if I don’t mind that she has kids?”

Lincoln grabbed the dog’s leads off a nearby table, tossing a few to her.  “Lex, you’re missing the point.”

“I mean I like kids.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“And Clarke isn’t just some girl that I’m trying to fool around with.”  Lexa looked up from the sled harness.  “I like her, Lincoln.“

She paused, connecting another tether.  "A lot.”

Lincoln snapped the last lead onto the harness and sighed.  “It’s not Clarke that I’m worried about, Lexa.”

He leaned back into the sled, resting against the cargo bundle.  “I know you like the Doc.  That’s why I’m worried about this.”

Lexa dropped down next to Lincoln, frowning skeptically.  “Why would you be concerned about that?”

“Because for once the tables are turned.  The girls you usually meet are starry-eyed college students who fall for you no matter how much you insist you’re just looking to have fun.  It’s your saving grace that those girls are never up here for more than a few months, and when they’re gone, you get to move on to the next Marine Life Science major or Climatology Ph.D. candidate or whatever.”

Lexa shrugged.  “And?”

“And, this time you’re the starry-eyed one, and Clarke isn’t just here for a few months, she’s pulling a year-long rotation.  More importantly, when she goes home, it’s going to be to two kids who take priority over everything else in her life.”

Lexa nodded, trying to make sense of her friend’s point.  “I still don’t understand why that’s a problem.”

Lincoln rolled his eyes, his partner’s willful ignorance playing on his last nerve. “Think about it, Lexa.”

He threw a cargo strap over the side of the sled. “Clarke has a life. The whole reason she’s up here is to make that life more stable.”

He passed another strap to Lexa and began ratcheting down the first one.  "She’s not going to want to complicate that by getting involved with someone who lives at the bottom of the world and has their mail delivered courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.“

The burly musher stared at his longtime friend hesitantly.  He softened his voice, reluctant to crush her spirits in spite of his concerns.   “You need to be prepared for the possibility that Clarke isn’t going to want something serious with you.”

The reality of her friend’s words slowly sank in, and suddenly Lexa felt as though her body was made of lead.  She dropped to the floor, defeated and unwilling to continue the argument.

Lincoln sighed, nudging Lexa with the toe of his boot.  “Lex, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this interested in someone.  That’s great, but I think you need to be careful about getting too invested.”

He nudged her again, offering a halfhearted smile. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.  Okay?”

Lexa nodded, knowing that his advice was sensible, though she hoped time would prove him wrong.

* * *

**October 26th, 4:15 PM NZST:**

“Excuse me?”

Wells tiptoed into the shop hesitantly, covering his ears to drown out the thumping sound coming from a malfunctioning generator that sat in the center of the room.  The machine rattled as though it was trying to pull itself apart.  It shook and sputtered until it died.

“Damn it!”  A loud clang rang out as a boot connected with metal.  “Worthless piece of junk!”

Raven appeared from behind the generator, her sweaty face covered in streaks of grease.  Wells watched the girl grit her teeth together as she stood.  She leaned on the side of the machine for support and shifting her weight to her right leg.

“Excuse me,” he called again, finally catching her attention.  

“Shit!” She jumped, nearly losing her balance as she turned towards him.  “Jesus, you scared the hell out of me.”

Raven looked Wells up and down without a hint of recognition, appearing to have forgotten their introduction.  

“If you’re here to file a work order the forms are in the office.  You can leave it with our clerk when you’re done.”  

She wiped a dirty hand on her coveralls and grabbed her crutches from the side of the generator, slumping against them as she made her way over to a tool chest with no small amount of effort.

The frustrated engineer began rummaging through the drawers haphazardly. In her haste, she leaned a bit too far to one side, grimacing as her body weight shifted onto her left leg.  She grabbed at the top of the chest and winced, sucking in a pained breath.

In an instant Wells was at her side, grabbing her elbow and placing his arm on the small of her back to help support her.

“Hey, are you all right?”

Raven nodded, her eyes still screwed shut in discomfort.  “I’m fine!”

The young pharmacist recoiled at the tone of her voice, a mixture of frustration and annoyance, but his hands remain firmly wrapped around her. A moment later she gave him an apologetic gaze. “Sorry, it’s just…”

She sighed. “Can you help me sit down for a second?”

Wells complied silently, easing the petite girl onto the floor as delicately as he could manage.  He crouched beside her, watching as Raven closed her eyes and began rubbing her lower thigh.  When her breathing evened out, and the grimace on her face had faded, she looked over at him bashfully.

“Thanks.”

The engineer leaned her back against the bottom of the tool chest, her face shifting as recognition finally dawned on her.

“I know you.”

Wells smiled, nodding.  “We met the other day.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, I remember. You’re hot Doc’s friend.”

He rolled his eyes, extending a hand to her.  “Wells Jaha.  I’m the new Pharmacy resident.”

Raven smirked, eyeing him a little suspiciously. “Pharmacist, eh? I don’t suppose you’ve got any ibuprofen on you?”

Wells shook his head.  “Sorry. Fresh out.”  He stared at her leg.  “Is it a knee problem?”

Raven stared at him for a moment, completely nonplused.  When she realized his question was a serious one, she laughed, grabbing at the fabric of her coveralls.

“More like a lack of a knee problem.”

The girl tugged her left pant leg upwards, revealing a prosthetic leg that began mid-thigh.  The skin around the lip of the prosthesis was chafed and showed bruising in several places.

Raven sighed, unstrapping the device and pulling it off to reveal a sock-clad stump of a thigh, amputated halfway to the hip.  “Damn prosthesis needs adjustments again.”

She looked at the leg disgustedly.  “The engineers who designed that thing should be shot.”

Wells stared at the prosthesis, considering it carefully.  “You know, I might be able to help you with that.”

Raven looked at him skeptically.  “Oh?”

Wells pointed hesitantly to the device, waiting for Raven to give the go-ahead before he picked it up.  He turned the leg over, studying the socket thoughtfully and looking back and forth between the leg and Raven’s tight.  “I don’t mean to be indelicate, but did you lose any weight recently?”

Raven’s brow furrowed.  “How did you know that?”

“My grandfather lost one of his legs to diabetes when I was 14.  In high school, I used to drive him to his medical appointments.”

Wells looked the leg over again before placing it back down.  “My grandpa had trouble keeping weight on, so his prosthetist showed me a few tricks to help keep him comfortable between fittings.”

Raven stared at Wells curiously as she began to reattach the leg.  “So, you can fix this thing?”

Wells shrugged.  “I might be to make it a little more comfortable, at least until you get stateside or put on a few pounds.”  He bit his lip, realizing that bringing up the woman’s weight might have been a mistake.

“I mean, not that you’re not fine.”

Raven’s brow creased at the comment, sending Wells into a small panic.

“Sorry! I meant that your weight is fine, not you.”  He grimaced, fumbling to correct himself.  “I mean you are, but I didn’t mean…”

“That you think I am fine?”

“Yes. I mean no! Damn it!”  Wells shut his eyes, willing himself not to die of embarrassment.

Raven finished attaching her prosthesis and rolled her pant leg back down.  “What was it you came in here for again?”

Wells sighed.  “Um, I…”  He put his hand on his forehead, trying to remember what his plan had been when he’d stepped into the shop.  For days he’d been waiting for something to stop working, for any excuse to see the brilliant engineer.  When the lights in the pharmacy had finally started flickering, he’d jumped at the opportunity to talk to Raven in person.

“There’s a problem with the lights in the Pharmacy. They keep blinking on and off.”

Wells smiled, ignoring his racing pulse as he made an attempt at small talk.  “I think it may be a wiring issue,” he offered, trying to sound knowledgeable.

Raven nodded, pulling herself up on the tool chest and taking a moment to regain her balance.  “Well Wells, like I said, if you’re here to file a work order the forms are in the office.”

Wells nodded, his mind racing as he thought of a way to stretch the conversation.  “Will you be able to come take a look at them soon?”

She started rummaging through the chest again, shoving wrenches and sockets around as she searched for a tool.  “Probably tomorrow.  I can send out one of the electrical apprentices in the afternoon.”

“It won’t be you?”

She peered over her shoulder at him.  “Not to toot my own horn, but flickering lights aren’t exactly a job for the head facilities engineer.”

“But…” Wells wrung his hands nervously.  “If you come by, then I could help you with your leg. I have a pretty good idea of how to fix it.”

He smiled hopefully, watching as she continued to sift through the drawer.  The engineer growled as she pulled open another drawer and riffling through the contents to no avail.  “You honestly think you can fix this thing?”

“Pretty sure.”

“How sure?”

He scratched the back of his head nervously.  “Eighty-five percent.”

Raven groaned, snapping her fingers a moment later when she realized where the item she sought was.  She pulled open another drawer raising a tap and dye set aloft triumphantly, before turning back to him, a grin on her face.

“Fine, I’ll come by.”  She grabbed her crutches, limping back towards the generator.  “But I won’t be able to stay for long.  Don’t expect any miracles with the lights.”

Wells lingered for a moment before leaving, staring longingly at the grease stains on the girl’s olive skin.  “Sounds good to me.”

* * *

**October 26th, 7:30 PM NZST:**

“Hey, you.”

Lincoln’s strong frame twisted as he jammed a spoonful of mashed potatoes past his lips.  Clarke slid into the seat next to him, and he smiled, attempting to greet her through a mouthful of food.

“What’s good, Doc?”  He swallowed hard, forcing down the potatoes with a wince.

Clarke ran a hand through her hair, glancing anxiously around the dining facility.  “Have you seen Lexa? I’ve been looking for her everywhere.”

The musher shoveled another spoonful into his mouth, washing it down with a large swig of lukewarm coffee.  “Can’t say I have.”  The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as he considered the anxious looking woman next to him.

“You mind if I ask you a question, Doc?”

“Not at all.”  She turned back to him, abandoning her attempt to find Lexa.

“What are your intentions with Lexa?”

Clarke’s mouth dropped open, shocked by his forwardness.  “I… I, uh.”

Her startled look only confirmed what he’d suspected. “You don’t know, do you?”

Reluctantly, she shook her head. “Is that such a bad thing?”

“Maybe.”

“You think so?”

Lincoln chewed a mouth full of food, staring thoughtfully at his plate.  Finally, he set his fork down and looked over at her.  “I think Lexa has a pretty big crush on you. That a new one on me, just between the two of us.”

Clarke allowed herself a few moments to process the information.  “And you think that makes me different from…”  The blonde hesitated, searching for a delicate way to phrase the question.  “The other women that she spends time with?”

Lincoln pushed his plate aside.  He leaned towards her, resting one elbow on the table top.  “Listen,” his voice was more serious suddenly.  “A lot of what Lexa does with those girls is out of boredom.”  He leaned in a little further.  “But at least some of it is about filling a void.”

“A void?”  Clarke tilted her head, squinting her eyes at him curiously.

He slumped against the table even further, considering how candid he ought to be.  “You’re not the only one with a past, Clarke. Lexa may come off cocksure, but she’s more vulnerable than you think.”

“So,” the doctor hesitated. “You’re worried that I’m using her?”

He shrugged.  “I’m concerned that Lexa is starting to like someone, who only sees her as a means to an end.”  Lincoln pushed himself off the table, clapping a large hand over the small woman’s shoulder.  “Seven years is a long time to go without the freedom to fool around.”

Clarke shifted uncomfortably in her seat, annoyed at the implications of the comment.  “I don’t fool around, Lincoln.”  She scowled, shrugging off his hand.  “I might not be looking for something permanent, but I’m also not aiming for a one night stand.  That sort of thing isn’t me.”

The musher folded his hands over his chest, staring her down.  Finally, he gave her a half smile and bobbed his head, convinced that she was honest.  

“Alright then, just remember what I told you.”  He rose from the bench, grabbing his empty tray.

Clarke grabbed his elbow before he could leave.  “Wait, are you sure you don’t know where she is?”

Lincoln stared down at the blonde, eyeing the lemon poppy seed cake on her tray.  “That depends.”

She frowned.  “On what?”

“On how you feel about parting with that dessert.”

* * *

**October 26th, 8:15 PM NZST:**

Clarke trudged through the snow carefully, making her way toward the dormitory.  As she neared, she gazed up at the roof, eyeing the figure crouched there.  Lexa sat near the lip, right where Lincoln said she would be, knees pulled to their chest as she stared patiently into the night sky.

The doctor cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted up at her.  “Want some company?”

Startled by the noise Lexa peered down, straining to see the source of the voice.  She smiled when she spotted Clarke, and waved her hand toward the side of the building.

“Stairs are in the back.  Just be careful on the way up, some of the rungs are slippery.”

The brunette grabbed the ladder rails, steadying it as the blonde made the slow climb upwards.  As Clarke neared the ledge, Lexa reached out, offering her a hand.

“Thanks.”  Clarke grabbed her palm, hoisting herself over the edge.  “I’ve been looking for you since before dinner.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, blushing at the heavily bundled doctor.  “I guess Lincoln told you I was up here.”

Clarke winked.  “I traded him my dessert for information on your whereabouts.”

“That traitor.”

The girls stood in silence for a moment, their breaths puffs of white in the cold night air.

“So, I hear you’re going to be out on an expedition for the next three days.”

Lexa nodded.  “Lincoln is taking some National Geographic photographers to the South Pole base for a few days. I offered to go too so we could split the gear between sleds.”

Clarke bit her lip hesitantly, smirking a little.  “I don’t suppose this is your way of avoiding me, is it?”

The question was a blunt one, and the flustered sledder found herself fumbling to answer it without sounding nervous.  “I… No.  Why would I do that?”

The doctor stared at the ground, kicking a patch of ice absentmindedly.  “Look, I know that I dropped a lot on you the other night.  I didn’t mean for it to come up that way.”

“Clarke it’s fine.  It wasn’t a big deal.”  Lexa floundered, grasping at straws as she searched for the right thing to say.

Thankfully the blonde held up a hand, cutting her off.  “Lexa, it’s alright.”  Clarke sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and half smiling.  “The truth is, I wasn’t planning on telling you any of that.”

Lexa swallowed, suddenly more nervous than before.  She stared at the ground, worried that the conversation was taking an unfavorable turn. “You weren’t?”

Clarke shrugged.  “Well, certainly not on a first date.”

The sledder’s pulse jumped, her heart skipping a beat.  “It was a date?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, pushing the brunette playfully.  “I mean, not that I’ve been on one in years, but I’m pretty sure that’s what the whole “Netflix and chill” thing is supposed to be. A date.”

Lexa started to correct her, but thought better of it, endeared by the doctor’s cluelessness.  “Yeah, something like that.”  She bit her lip nervously, her heart racing, feeling suddenly feverish in spite of the dropping temperature.  If there was a time to make a move, this was it.

“Clarke.”

“Lexa.” Clarke’s eyes widened, fixed on something in the distance.

“Just let me finish, ok?”

“No, Lexa. Look!”  She pointed over the brunette’s shoulder.

Lexa turned, immediately enraptured by what she saw. Glowing green lights illuminated the night sky, waves of emerald against a sea of space and stars.

“Aurora Australis.”

Lexa snapped her head around, staring dumbfounded at the azure-eyed girl behind her.  “How did you know that?”

Clarke smiled shyly.  “Astronomy 121. It was my favorite class Freshman year.”  She inched closer to the brunette.  “So this is what you come up here for.”

“It is.”  The sledder’s heart sped up as she felt Clarke slip a gloved hand into her own. “They’re hard to predict, but if you’re patient, solar storms like this one make all the waiting worth it.”

Clarke grinned.  “You know, you could catch your death sitting up here in the cold.”

Without another thought, Lexa turned, staring into Clarke’s blue eyes.  She placed a hand on the doctor’s waist, and the world began moving in slow motion.  Lexa leaned her head down, the few inches separating them feeling as though it was miles.

It took hours, days, years, to close the gap, but finally, she felt her lips graze Clarke’s, and Lexa’s shut her eyes instinctually.  In that instant, the chill in her bones was gone, and the only things that existed were warmth and beams of light, and the girl moaning softly into her mouth.  Lexa finally pulled away, pressing their foreheads together gently, and feeling the heat radiating off Clarke’s flushed face.

“Some things are worth catching your death over.”

**Author's Note:**

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